Strictly host Emma Willis, 50, says she is a 'chronic overthinker' and perimenopause left her struggling with low moods after landing biggest job of her career

Emma Willis has detailed how much she struggled when her hormones 'fell off a cliff' and she began to deal with low moods after starting perimenopause.

The Strictly host, 50, said while she has a tendency to 'pick herself apart' she is generally a positive person and 'didn't know where it had come from'.

Emma, who has just landed the biggest job of her career, told how she felt left in the dark because 'nobody really talked about' how it would feel physically and mentally.

She said: 'The first thing I had was just low mood. I'm not really a low person. I'm pretty chipper most of the time, so it just really seemed to come out of nowhere and I didn't know why. I couldn't figure it out. I didn't know where it had come from or what was going on.'

Emma also revealed some of the habits she can fall into as an 'overthinker', telling The Times: I'm a chronic people-pleaser. I'm pretty anxious. So yes I am very happy and optimistic, but I also pick myself apart.'

This has all happened while Emma continues to work at the top of her game, most recently landing a job on the BBC's flagship show, Strictly Come Dancing, alongside co-hosts Johannes Radebe and Josh Widdicombe.

Over the past decade, Emma has fronted huge shows including Big Brother, The Voice UK, Love Is Blind UK and The Circle.

Emma admitted she is proud of her 'f***ing great CV' and was completely unapologetic about landing primetime gigs in her fifties.

She said: 'I have two thoughts about getting a job like this at this age. One is: why should it not be normal? And why is it even a thing? When we think about women and careers, and how we're meant to kind of slow down and maybe disappear slightly as we get older.'

Speaking in 2023, Emma revealed how perimenopausal brain fog had her in its grip. Frequently losing track of sentences and laughingly searching for words.

She's said she tried to be as honest as possible with the children about menopause, which she's entered just as Isabelle has her own hormonal teenage challenges.

'Touch wood, she's fantastic at the moment, but she's like, 'So we're both kind of feeling a little bit all over the place?' My son is just like, 'Thank God I'm not a girl'.'

But growing older definitely had its advantages, too, as Emma learned to focus on herself instead of others. 

'I've always been a people-pleaser and now I think, sometimes, I probably shouldn't have been,' she says. 'But I'm getting better at saying no without apologising profusely.

'Like a lot of women, I've always found the 'prioritise yourself' thing difficult, but that's another thing I've learned from Matt. He obviously has to prioritise his mental health and now I get that I need to do these things too.'

It helps that the children need her less. 'When they were all little I was so busy with work, the one hour I might have in a day I wanted to spend with them. But now they don't want to be with me, they're in their bedrooms talking to their mates anyway, so it's like I might as well go to the gym.'

At the same time, the feeling that she's just a girl from Sutton Coldfield who is unworthy of success has finally vanished.

'With age you realise you actually are quite capable. It helps that there are so many women in their 50s on television who are thriving: whether it's Gabby Logan or Davina [McCall], they're cheerleaders and they're changing the narrative.'

She continues, 'With everything I've ever done I've always felt I was lucky just to be there, but if you took off those limitations, what could you achieve? 

'There's always this little voice in your head going, 'Oh, it's not going to last too long, don't get too comfortable.' But actually, it has been 20 years. Maybe it's going to be all right!'

While Emma has been branded the 'safe pair of hands' at the helm of Strictly, while her co-presenters have been more heavily criticised, they have failed to deliver the ratings boost BBC bosses had hoped for.

As the weeks have gone on, Emma and Johannes' 'chemistry' was praised as they presented together for the first time – and they claimed Josh has finally 'found his natural home'.

Ever since the hit BBC dance show returned to the box two weeks ago, Emma, Johannes and Josh have been heavily scrutinised after taking on the roles from Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman, trying out different pairings throughout.

But after the first elimination show, fans were positive about elements of the presenting set-up.

Emma and Johannes were paired together for the start of the show, where they discussed the dances from Saturday with the judges.

Sharing their thoughts on X, fans penned: 'Emma and Johannes presenting together this is much better it’s not hard.'

Emma then headed downstairs to the dance floor to reveal the votes, where she was replaced by Josh, who joined Johannes to chat with the celebs.

Fans enjoyed seeing Josh upstairs as they claimed he appeared less nervous.

They said: 'Now can we move Josh upstairs plz he works much better up there with Johannes.'

It comes after Emma responded to Strictly criticism with a cryptic post after the first live show suffered a ratings slump.

Things got off to a shaky start with the new presenting team as viewers weren't convinced by the set-up.

Taking to Instagram just days later, Emma shared a series of behind-the-scenes snaps from the show as she brushed off any critique with an inspiring quote about breaking free from judgement.

It read: 'You'll get judged either way, so may as well pick the fun option.'